Aug 23 2010
Early Bedtimes
With the start of school comes the painful process of enforcing earlier bed times. Josiah has been the least likely to fight this, primarily because for the last three weeks, he has had a schedule that looked like this:
0600 Wake up and run the neighbor’s dog.
0800 Cross Country practice – run 6 to 8 miles.
1700 Walk the neighbor’s dog, because you can no longer run, attempt not to pass out in the humid 90 degree heat.
2200 Go to bed because you are exhausted just thinking about doing the same thing tomorrow.
Abby pretends she goes to bed, but has a flash light hidden in her bed, so she doesn’t actually go to sleep.
Gabe just goes to bed. He, like his father, is an early bird. No matter when he goes to sleep, he usually wakes up before 7.
Zeke knows he is supposed to go to sleep, doesn’t want to go to sleep, and thinks of new maneuvers each night to drag out the “go to bed” drama.
Below is the conversation he had with his father the other night:
Zeke: “I’m just getting a drink of water.”
Dale: “You don’t need any more drinks of water. You have had plenty of drinks.”
Zeke: “I have a lot of saliva.”
Dale: “Well, go spit in the trash can!”
(Zeke goes over and spits in the trash can. I am laughing hysterically. Dale finally cracks.)
Dale: “Get a drink and go to bed.”
(His siblings are justified in their complaints that the boy is spoiled. However, in our defense, the things the boy says are just plain funny.)
Sounds like he takes after his grandfather – great sense of humor!
Wow. This is the same dialogue on this side of the Pacific. Exchange Abby for Michael, Elisa for Zeke, Nea for Gabe. Sounds like we are all working from a global script. Would’t it be great as a musical.
peace,
Karl
Karl…You can start practicing for the musical by each night singing your line over and over and over using a different melody each time: “Just Go To Bed! Just Go To Bed! Just Go To Bed!” After a few nights of your serenading, I’m certain the kids will go to bed post haste.